The tamarind juice gives Singapore assam fish curry a delicious tanginess and adding the coconut cream, which is unusual for this dish, lets us get away without adding palm sugar (which usually goes hand in hand with tamarind)- just as delicious as the original but healthier!
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Lately, we've fallen in love with tamarind in my house- its hint of citrusy acidity does wonders for food and helps to wake up your taste buds, especially when combined with sambal belacan (shrimp paste) or used to marinate pork!
Besides mee siam (a Singaporean noodle which can be served stir-fried or with soup/ gravy), we also like to use it to cook this Singaporean tangy fish curry.(For more tamarind recipe ideas, click here or here for vegan tamarind dishes.)
Note: this recipe is adapted from a vintage cookbook that came with a calendar. Unlike Singapore in the 80s, most of us don't have time to grate our own coconuts anymore, so I've changed the recipe to use packaged coconut cream/ milk instead to make things more convenient for everyone!
Variations
The most common assam fish dish in Singapore is actually cooked with sugar instead of coconut- I will share the recipe for that another time- but I prefer this version as it doesn't require you to add sugar (healthier!)
For more Singapore recipes, click here.
Note: This dish shouldn't be confused with the classic Malaysian dish/ Singaporean dish, Assam pedas (which requires more herbs such as daun kesum (Vietnamese coriander) and torch ginger flower) or fish head curry (which uses fish curry powder).
Ingredients & Substitutes
- White fish fillet
- Substitute protein: pork
- Unfortunately for vegans or vegetarians who like Asian food, the sauce doesn't complement the taste of mushrooms very well (I used king oyster mushrooms, a very meaty mushroom that is often used to replace meat in vegan dishes, but the resulting dish wasn't one I'd care to repeat! )
- For Asian recipes for vegans, click here.
- Tamarind pulp or tamarind paste (locally known as Assam)
- Coconut cream
- Dried chillies
- Substitute: chili paste or 1 of these chilli alternatives
- Lemongrass
- Lemongrass is often sold as a big bunch- if you need ideas for what to do with the rest, click here for more asian lemongrass recipes.
- Turmeric
- Substitute: teaspoon turmeric powder or check out this list of alternatives to using turmeric
- For more easy turmeric recipes, click here
- Aromatics: Garlic & Ginger
- Salt or fish sauce, to taste
- Optional garnish: green onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves or sliced green chillies
Type of fish
I usually use nile fish or sutchi fillet as these are readily available in fillet form for online grocery delivery (whatever white fish is on promotion really!), but traditionally Singaporean homes would use fish such as Spanish Mackerel (ikan tenggiri), red snapper (ikan merah), threadfin (ikan kurau) and even sea bass.
Whichever you use, the key is to use fresh fish (although, honestly, sour fish curry does help to hide the taste of older fish)
The eagle eyed will notice I made this assam curry with pork and not fish!
Optional ingredients
You can also add these items to the curry (curries are a great fridge-clean out dish!):
- tomato wedges
- okra/ ladies fingers (it will naturally thicken the sauce a little)
How to Serve
The tangy gravy in this curry goes well with a simple meal of white or pandan rice. You can serve it with other Asian side dishes such as soy mushrooms or, a local favourite, soya sauce pork stew.
How to store
Keep for no more than 1-2 days in an air-tight container in the fridge as coconut doesn't last very long.
Expert Tips
- Like most stews and curries, this assam fish curry actually tastes better the next day, so it's great for making in advance (e.g. before a party)
- If you prefer a lighter gravy, replace some coconut cream with coconut water. It keeps the coconut flavour but makes for a less heavy sauce. (Don't replace it completely though or the texture of the dish will change.)
- You can even make your own coconut cream from coconut milk: leave the can in the fridge overnight and it will separate into 2 layers. Open the can, without shaking and scoop out the top, more solid layer- whisk that well and you'll get your coconut cream!
Suggested Accompanying Recipes
Love this fish curry recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, I've love a comment. Thank you!
Singaporean assam fish curry with coconut
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- Granite mortar and pestle. Alternatively, give everything a blitz in the blender but it doesn't quite release the flavours in the same way Do not use a ceramic one or you will end up cursing and swearing as the pounding will take FOREVER
- Pan
Ingredients
- 15.9 oz white fish fillets (gutted and descaled) (450g) Substitute: pork (it will need to be cooked longer than the fish). Don't use oyster mushrooms as it doesn't go well with the tamarind
- ⅖ Cup coconut cream (100ml), mixed with 1 Chinese bowl of water Alternatively grate ½ a coconut and mix it with 225 ml of water
- 1 T tamarind paste Mix it with ¼-1/2 Chinese bowl of water
- salt to taste
- 2 T vegetable oil, or to taste Don't use olive oil! Canola or sunflower works (palm oil is the traditional choice in South East Asia)
Rempah (to be pounded together- cut all the ingredients, where possible, before pounding)
- 4 dried chillies (Cut to facilitate pounding) (Remove the seeds to make it less spicy) Don't touch your eyes after touching the dried chillies or you will cry
- 2 lemongrass stalks (white part/ base) Chop extra fine before pounding to make life easier for yourself
- 1 piece turmeric Substitute with turmeric paste or powder if you don't have fresh on hand
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 slice ginger Peel with the back of a spoon if you wish- i sometimes leave the skin on!
Instructions
- Wash the fish in salt water, then drain dry and cut into 1,5 cm pieces. In Singapore, we use ikan tenggiri, ikan merah and ikan kurau, but you can also use a white fish like cod or tilapia.
- Cut all the ingredients for the rempah, then pound (or blend) till fine.
- Heat the cooking oil then sear the fish till light brown on both sides. Plate
- In the same pan, add more oil if necessary, then fry the pounded rempah. Keep stirring and frying till the oil separates out and you can smell the fragrance of the ingredients.
- Add the coconut and fish to the pan. Salt to taste then bring to the boil.
- Add the tamarind juice and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or till the fish is cooked. Add more water or salt till the gravy is at your ideal consistency/ tastiness.
- Serve with white rice
Notes
Nutrition
What are some of your favourite fish curries? If you liked this Singaporean assam fish curry recipe, I would be super grateful if you'd care to leave a rating or comment below! 🙂
Tori says
I love Assam fish but stopped making it cuz I'm trying to cut down sugar- cooked this as a substitute and it was so good! Going to save it in my recipe book thanks
Zen says
Thanks Tori! Whole reason I shared this was because I'm trying to reduce sugar too! Already get too much of it with all the chocolates I eat!